Campaign rewards Fortnite players for saving lives

Advertising & Marketing

The new Fortnite game mode is part of campaign to raise awareness about the human cost of war and the work of the International Red Cross

Spotted: US-based gaming giant, Epic Games, and the International Red Cross have collaborated in a Fortnite game that rewards saving, instead of ending lives. The game is part of a campaign to raise awareness about the Red Cross’s humanitarian work in conflict areas.

Liferun plays off a Fortnite game mode known as “deathrun.” The new game mode flips the script, however, by rewarding players for the lives they save. By giving players four life-saving missions to complete, the missions echo the global work of the International Red Cross. Players compete to complete tasks, such as providing medical care for civilians, demining territories and distributing aid quickly. They receive points for these challenges, just like in traditional Fortnite games.

Liferun was launched in January at the PAX South 2020 gaming congress in Texas, USA. The game mode is free to play, and the digital agency Wunderman Thompson Seattle worked with gaming specialists, Team Evolve, to create Liferun.

Takeaway:

Liferun is the latest public campaign to use Fortnite's successful gamification tactics to attract a wider audience. Gamification has helped boost interest in a wide range of issues, from addressing hunger to literacy. Studies have shown that gamification techniques increase engagement by 100 to 150 per cent and could be used to tackle a variety of issues in the future.